Light fixtures found in indoor industrial, commercial, and retail settings typically consist of a housing and a lamp assembly. The housing holds within it the power components needed by the fixture to operate such as the ballast and the capacitor. The lamp assembly often may consist of a lamp socket, a lamp or light source mounted to the socket, and a reflector or refractor to distribute the light from the lamp in a useful and desirable manner.
In the past, light fixtures of this nature were mounted high above the ground by securing the housing to a ceiling or ceiling supports. Such fixtures were usually out of sight and valued primarily on how well they provided illumination. As a consequence, the design of the housing drew upon functional requirements such as the spacing of the components and their need for ventilation rather than upon style.
Today's lighting fixtures, however, are expected to meet the needs of the purchaser that are not just limited to their use as a source of lighting. More and more often light fixtures are seen as one of the elements to be drawn upon by interior decorators to create a desired atmosphere in a given indoor setting. These fixtures are no longer hidden by high ceilings but are suspended from the ceiling to be closer to workers and customers. Many fixtures are even found being mounted to the surrounding walls. As a result, light fixtures are quite often being chosen to match or contrast with the room or building's decor. They may also be called upon to assist in establishing or projecting a certain corporate image for the purchaser such as by their choice of color or by their display of specific icons or logos.
Even many light fixtures that could be considered stylish have their shortcomings. Customers of lighting fixtures, like those of any product, demand timely delivery of the goods they order. Keeping the time needed, therefore, to fill and deliver a customer's order to a minimum is critical. This has meant limited choices for the customer since any customization of the light fixture has to be performed at the time of assembly. Moreover, any such customization can oftentimes be quite time consuming, increasing the cost to both the manufacturer and customer. This has naturally been a source of some dissatisfaction to many customers who have grown accustomed over the years to being able to choose from a wide selection for nearly any other product they buy.
Another shortcoming with the more stylish lighting fixtures is the fact that their appearance after purchase is fixed. If the room or area around the fixture is later remodeled or redesigned, its particular look may no longer be desirable. On the other hand, replacement of the fixture would be in most cases cost prohibitive. A lighting fixture then that can be customized at any time, to meet the needs of the purchaser for the particular setting where it is being used, would be highly desirable.
A lighting fixture is therefore needed having features that can be easily customized or changed to reflect the tastes or decorative sensibilities of the purchaser. A lighting fixture is also needed where such customization can be done inexpensively so that individual lines of light fixtures targeting different but select customer groups can be developed economically. In particular, there are significant benefits in having a light fixture that can be manufactured at a low cost and yet includes features that allow one model to reflect the colors of a local school or sports team in a specific part of the country while a different unit can be made to display the logo of a certain corporation. This invention meets these needs and overcomes other problems and shortcomings in the prior art.